


I Can Hear Your Voice

by shxnosuke



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Death, F/M, Heavy Swearing, Slight fluff?, Soulmate AU, Time - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shxnosuke/pseuds/shxnosuke
Summary: People say that you’ll be able to communicate with your soulmate through your thoughts if you concentrated hard enough. For you, it took you a lot more than others because yours refused to respond to you over and over.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Reader
Kudos: 4





	I Can Hear Your Voice

**Author's Note:**

> { } is the reader speaking and < > is Levi speaking. For a collaboration piece on Tumblr

Levi doesn’t believe in rumours.

There’s been one making itself welcome in the past year, waltzing around town. Levi was never one to listen to rumours. But its presence has been made among the new recruits and his comrades such that he couldn’t help giving it some attention.

He scoffed when he heard anything about it, wondering why people waste their energy on such things. Even to the point they fainted afterwards. Such brainpower and effort would have been put to better use during the planning of expeditions or during the expeditions itself.

He never believed this _outrageous_ idea.

**{Hey, are you there?}**

His teacup clattered on the table; the tea blotched his documents. He swore under his breath, wondering what the hell there was a voice in his head at 2am.

* * *

On your 18th birthday, you had a dream you never forgot. A man stood in the centre of vast whiteness, with his back facing you. His forest green cape was billowing although there was no wind.

“[name].”

The voice that reached you was soft and crisp, something that you have never been blessed with hearing. You were born partially deaf, and your world was a muffled one since birth. As a result, you were home-schooled, and your form of communication with the public was by pieces of paper. Though, occasionally, you did speak to your family at home.

It was a breath of fresh air.

You walked towards him to get a glimpse of his face. But then, darkness engulfed you as he turned his face. You never got to see his face and you woke up with tears streaming down your face.

Or maybe you did, it was just that you had forgotten. After all, for some damned reason, you couldn’t recall the large crest printed on his cape.

You’ve always felt that you were missing something or someone ever since you had that dream. Though, you’ve always just disregarded the feeling of longing brewing in your chest.

A few years after that, you caught wind of a rumour. Whenever you had gone on a stroll or an errand, you strung together bits and pieces of sentences that spilt out of people’s mouths. You came to the conclusion that you could supposedly communicate with your soulmate through your thoughts if you focused sufficiently hard.

After hearing this buzz that kept going around town, you harboured the thought that the man that you had dreamt of was your soulmate.

One night, you decided to give it a shot, albeit it took you a long while to gather your courage to do so. After that, you started to wonder what was considered “focused hard enough”. Then you started to hesitate again.

You only realised it was 2am when you saw the clock. Thinking to yourself that he would have been asleep (after all, his being a soldier is tiring), you felt the worry on your mind lighten.

You sat up on your bed and looked into the night sky through your window. You soon zoned into your thoughts and you attempted to greet him.

Having had no reply for 10 minutes, you went to sleep.

The next morning, you decided to try again. Anyway, who the heck says “are you there?” to someone they’ve never talked to before?

**{Hello, I’m [name].}**

After waiting for 10 minutes, you didn’t get a reply. It was already noon and a soldier shouldn’t be asleep by then. You thought maybe you didn’t focus hard enough, and you tried again.

**{Hello?}**

A little impatient, you sent him a hello again. Instead of a reply, a migraine decided to come along and you refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the day.

Over the course of two weeks of prodding, there was no response.

Your brother told you that your soulmate may have died or that you never had one in the first place. Maybe the dream was a farce. But you knew that he was ignoring you. You didn’t have any proof, but you JUST knew.

**{Hey, please talk to me.}**

A stern voice reverberated in your head.

**< Do you know that you’re going to murder me by distracting me while on duty?>**

You did not foresee a day that you would rejoice at such a rude statement.

**{Hey, what’s your name?}**

And you were ghosted again.

In consideration for his life, you decided that you were only going to pester him at night. Sure, you got less headaches from communicating , but you weren’t sure if the brain cells you lost were worth it.

After a few weeks, you decided it was the last straw.

**{I’m going to die.}**

**< What the fuck?>**

**{I said I was going to die and that’s all you have to say? That response was quick as hell though.}**

**< Don’t fucking mess with me about death. I don’t talk to people who don’t value life.>**

**{You didn’t have to go that far.}**

A silent end again.

You threw your fist into your bed, clenching your teeth. You stomped all around the house, eliciting a response from your younger brother. Kenji had asked you what the hell you were doing, and you had told him the whole story.

“Damn he’s such an asshole. But oh sister, please, you were pretty insensitive too.”

It was the first time you didn’t want to hear what someone said clearly.

“What? I didn’t hear that. It’s fine you don’t have to repeat.”

Although had turned your back against Kenji, you could feel him rolling his eyes at you and possibly holding in a chuckle (though you thought there was no need for him to hold it in since you might not hear it).

That night, you started to feel the full effects of the guilt that grabbed at your insides. With his line of work, death shouldn’t be discussed so casually.

**{I’m sorry for being insensitive earlier. I’ve been partially deaf since I was born, and your voice is the only thing I can hear clearly. I promise I won’t joke about such things in the future. Just- Please talk to me.}**

No longer than a minute later, you heard from him.

**< You better.>**

You couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, thinking about the lack of edge in his words.

**{Was that a yes?}**

* * *

He thought that you would have probably been a model student if you had gone to school. When he told you that you could start talking to him after 6pm unless he said otherwise, he didn’t expect you to start right on the dot. Almost every single day.

**{Which regiment are you from? My brother, Kenji, wants to join the military soon. Please impart some tips so I can help him.}**

**{Could you tell me about your days as a soldier?}**

**{Do you think people who have difficulty hearing can play a part in the military?}**

**{Can we meet please?}**

With your eagerness and punctuality, it was a pity you were home-schooled.

**< No.>**

**{Why are your replies so dry?}**

“Levi? What do you think?”

The eyes of Hange and his squad were on him, the air becoming stiff.

**< I wasn’t taught how to talk to two people at once>**

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Hange sighed, leaning back into her seat. “Not sure what’s up with you, but you’ve been pretty out of it when we’re not out on an expedition.”

Levi chose not to respond and urged for her to get back to the meeting.

**{Oh sorry, I’ll leave you to settle your matters.}**

Hange perked up from the other end of the table, slamming the table with her palms as she jumped from her seat. “Do you have someone on your mind?”

At times like this, Levi hated how sharp she was.

“I have the piss-head monkey on my mind because I’m itching to kill him.”

Hange loosened her shoulders and took her seat.

He labelled you the sole intruder in his mind, but he never stopped you from doing it.

He didn’t have to for the day to come.

{ **Hey! Are you okay?}**

His squad members’ eyes were on him again while his were on his cup as it rolled in circles on the floor. He was lucky he didn’t have his files for the tea to decorate this time. Though, he’d still have to clean the spillage on the floor. You really needed to stop giving him such jumpscares.

**{Respond to me you dumbfuck! There are titans here at Stohess! I don’t know where the hell you are and I’m worried!}**

The lack thereof of cheeriness in your voice made him a little uneasy. He left the mess hall and proceeded to Stohess. There had been no reports of titans, but you had promised after all.

**< Tell me the details.>**

The silence in his head stayed longer than he had been comfortable with. The trip to Wall Sina was just as unsettling, almost bumping into people way too many times. When he passed the gates of Wall Sina, your voice thundered in his head.

{ **Please protect Kenji and my mother!}**

A chill ran down his spine.

Past the gate, the citizens were taking their strolls. The builders were touching up the last bits of construction. The breeze gently prompted the flowers to dance.

**< What the fuck, [name]?>**

Kids ran past him, the giggles bubbling from their throats jabbed his mind. An ache crept into his head. The vibrant colours of the flowers in ceramic pots, lined along the houses, mocked the uneasiness that continued to brew in his stomach as he walked.

**< Answer me, you brat! Stop fucking with me.>**

Reaching a turn in the street, he stopped in his tracks. There was clearly nothing going on in Stohess and you had refused to answer.

A wasted trip. A broken promise in his eyes.

As he turned his heels to leave, the glimpse of a scar caught his attention. The reserved disposition of the boy failing to downplay the attention the rift across his cheek demanded. It was the scar he saw in his dream years ago.

Levi found his feet gravitating towards said teen, slowly picking up pace and he found himself running. Levi stopped him before he entered the house. With the close proximity, the scar was a deep, dark imprint and it was screaming.

“Do you know [name]?”

The boy’s eyes widened slightly; his mouth agape. A moment later, it was as if something hit him, his expression changed and he clenched his fists.

“Why did you only come now?”

Levi furrowed his eyebrows, about to question him. An older lady opened the door of the house. She hit the teen hard on the head.

She turned to Levi; eyes filled with fatigue.

“I’m so sorry about Kenji. Would you come on a short walk with me, soldier?”

The uneasiness turned into shock during the walk, more so of a trip. It had stirred so much in his gut he wanted to throw up.

“[name] died 3 years ago.”

All he could do was stare at the headstone; your name engraved on it for all of eternity. His words lodged in his throat, the silence further stuffing his throat.

Not long later, they returned to the house. Levi was about to leave when Kenji invited him in and served up some tea.

“Captain Levi, I’m sorry about being rude earlier. But I won’t apologise for what I said.”

“I only started to hear from her a few months ago. She just told me today that there were titans here.”

“Huh?”

“Look kid, I’ve got no business messing with you.”

Kenji sat in silence, deep in his thoughts for a while. “Time messed up really bad here.”

He stopped speaking again and fiddled with his fingers, staring at a dent on the wooden table.

“Spit it out. You have something to say.”

At nightfall, he stood in front of your grave once again.

_“Some people say if you offer your blood to your dead soulmate on their grave, you’ll be given one chance to go back in time and save them. With you, I don’t think we have to talk about failing.”_

_Levi raised his eyebrows but had chosen not to say anything._

Your life was anchored on the pocketknife in his coat pocket. It weighed heavily beside his heart, pegging him to pull it out.

_“No one knows how far back in time you’ll get sent. A few say they’ve been sent back many years to the point when they were still a kid. They’ve had to wait for years before they saw their soulmate again.”_

His moments in the Underground flashed through his mind. If he took this opportunity, he may be sent back to that musty room where his mother died. He’d have to go through more years of getting out of that artificial hellhole.

_“But some say don’t meddle with time in the first place because you never know of the repercussions. Most had a price to pay, some were cheap, some were hefty.”_

_His mother stormed out of the kitchen and yelled at him, chiding him for forcing his wishes onto Levi._

_As she dragged Kenji away, he sobbed, “Please, save my sister.”_

The gray headstone reflected the moonlight into his eyes.

In hindsight, refusing to respond to you to keep a distance from you was futile. Refusing to say his name. Refusing to meet you. All so he wouldn’t have one more person to care so deeply for that he could possibly lose. In this world where anyone could go out without knowing.

Including you. 

You were meant to be dragged into oblivion. His dream was in was a pitch-black room. He could only see a lady who stood in the centre of it, who he supposed was you. Gazing up with your side profile unclear, it was as if you were waiting for someone or something. Then, the boy with the jarring scar showed up and tugged at your hand. He took your hand and gently led you away. Just like that, you fused into the darkness. He was alone again.

But the grief still weighed heavily on his heart anyway. Humanity’s Strongest wasn’t sure if rewriting the stars was within his capabilities.

Besides, Levi doesn’t believe in rumours. He doesn’t. 

* * *

Your eyes jerked open, and you took short breaths in quick succession. Still lying on the thin sheet of cloth laid on the hard concrete floor, your eyes swept across the room. Two identical thin sheets lay beside you, slightly wrinkled. Other evacuees laid on the cold concrete ground, a few of them moving around as the day broke.

The dream replayed itself in your head over and over and over.

Two titans rampaged in Stohess, fighting each other in the vicinity of your house. Your mother was working as a servant in a noble’s home, and you could only hope that she was safe. With the life of your younger brother on your shoulders, you tried to take him away to safety. As the both of you ran, one of the titans was hurled into a neighbouring house.

Kenji was in the trajectory of a flying debris. Without thinking, you shoved him away. And you knew you hadn’t survived that. It was too vivid to be a dream but the hard floor and your aching back proved that you were alive.

When your mother and brother returned, you asked them to fill you in on what happened.

“Captain Levi from the Survey Corps took us here. He instructed us to stay here and left. Not long later, the floor was rumbling, and people started flooding this hall. We wanted to thank him, but he never showed himself again. It was as if he knew it was going to happen.”

You started running around in the confines, with Kenji’s shouts that you couldn’t make out trailing behind.

**Captain Levi! Where are you? Answer me, please!**

You never knew how Levi decided whether to respond to you. There had still been times that he had chosen not to respond to you. This time hadn’t been an exception.

* * *

When Levi opened his eyes, it was the first time he woke up to the sun’s rays, lying on the grass. He soon realised he had fallen asleep in the graveyard near Stohess. He thought he had left the graveyard earlier. But he deduced that he had probably fallen asleep leaning against a headstone.

He continued to lay on the grass, feeling it tickle his arms. An icky feeling lingering on his hand. 

An indelible, concrete heavy feeling in his heart.

When he decided to leave, he no longer knew why he was reluctant to leave or why he had been there at the cemetery in the first place. Looking around his feet to find that there was nothing, he started to leave the compound.

“Captain Levi!”

It was a clear, crisp voice he had heard before but hadn’t at the same time.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise if I portrayed anything about being partially deaf wrongly, especially if any of them are offensive (please message me if anything I’ve written comes off as that and I’ll make the necessary changes). I didn’t consider sign language as I felt that sign language may have not been developed within the walls.
> 
> This is the longest fic I’ve ever written and the one that I’ve put the most effort into (I’ve been writing, editing and changing the plot of the story while I was editing in the past month). It’s been a long while since I enjoyed writing a story and I hope you’ll enjoy reading this.


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